Reagan 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! '
Obama 'I don't care if you beat to death the blind Chinese guy and his wife'
Chen Guangcheng Ignored by Hillary Clinton
8:05 AM, May 3, 2012 •
Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese dissident who briefly took refuge in the U.S. embassy, recently expressed his hope that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would rescue him. "My fervent hope is that it would be possible for me and my family to leave for the U.S. on Hillary Clinton’s plane," Chen told the Daily Beast.
But that doesn't seem likely: Clinton, who is in China now, completely ignored Chen in her remarks as part of the so-called U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. She did not mention him once.
Clinton briefly mentioned human rights, however, but merely in a vague, passive way.
"Now of course, as part of our dialogue, the United States raises the importance of human rights and fundamental freedoms because we believe that all governments do have to answer to citizens’ aspirations for dignity and the rule of law, and that no nation can or should deny those rights," Clinton said, without bringing up specific cases where the Chinese government violated the rights of its citizens. "As President Obama said this week, a China that protects the rights of all its citizens will be a stronger and more prosperous nation, and of course, a stronger partner on behalf of our common goals."
The meetings go on, so perhaps there is hope still for Chen.
Here are Clinton's full remarks:
RemarksHillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State Diaoyutai Villa 17
Beijing, China
May 3, 2012
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